The 1949/50 season was the last time teams from West and East Berlin played together in the city’s top league for more than four decades. In 1992/93, teams from both parts of Berlin competed together again for the first time in the city’s highest league, the newly created Verbandsliga. Since 2008 it has been called the Berlin League.
With the exception of the champions TuS Makkabi, who have been promoted to the Oberliga, the top teams of the previous season are also the favorites this time. Especially the Füchse Berlin, who have strengthened themselves with players from the regional and upper leagues. But Frohnauer SC, Sparta Lichtenberg and Oberliga relegated Stern 1900 can also be expected to be up front.
And the Berliner SC shows a lot of self-confidence, in the special issue of the “Football Week” the BSC was named the number one title candidate. Well then, here’s to an exciting season!
The biggest name in the league can be found on the sidelines. Thomas Häßler was born in Berlin. He was World Champion in 1990 and European Champion in 1996 and twice Footballer of the Year in Germany. Hässler, 56, coaches BFC Preussen. There are also interesting names in the promoted squad: 33-year-old Christoph Menz, for example, who played for 1. FC Union and Dynamo Dresden in the second division, is new. For Hässler’s squad there should be much more than just the fight to stay up. By the way, Prussia is the only team that won the cup as a Berlin league team, in 2016 against Lichtenberg 47.
Games are played, for example, in the Mommsen Stadium (SCC) and in the Volkspark Mariendorf (TSV Mariendorf 97) with its large, covered grandstand. Or on the Wackerplatz (Foxes), which is now officially called the Kienhorststraße sports field and saw second division football with Wacker 04 in the 1970s. Then there is also the sports field in Stern Marienfelde, which has what is probably the loveliest name in the league: at the village church. This was built in the 13th century.
In Berlin, the distances to away games are naturally shorter than in other federal states. But here, too, a few kilometers come together, as it goes in three directions almost to the city limits before the place is reached: at Frohnauer SC in the north, upstart Lichtenrader BC in the south and the Spandauer Kickers in the west.
77 teams have played in the league so far. The leader in the all-time table is TSV Rudow, last is 1. FC Schöneberg (Pierre Littbarski’s first club in the 1960s). In between there are big names who were there for at least one season: the former Bundesliga clubs SV Tasmania (formerly Tasmania 1900), Blau-Weiss 90 and Tennis Borussia, the ex-second division clubs SCC, Wacker and Spandauer SV, East German record champions BFC Dynamo and Germania 88, the oldest still existing football club in Germany.
1. FC Union also appears in the list. Union was represented by the second team, which no longer exists. The BFC and Tennis Borussia played in the league with their first and second teams. TeBe managed to become champions with both teams (1998 and 2015).
From 1992 to 2008, BFC Alemannia 90 was a regular – and stayed longer than any other founding member. Alemannia now plays in the district league B, but is still listed in eighth place in the all-time table. There are currently three clubs from the inaugural season in the league: Frohnau, Preussen and 1. FC Wilmersdorf. The first season was tough: Master Frohnau was equal on points with Wilmersdorf. There were only 16 points between Frohnau and SSC Teutonia in 16th place (two points were awarded for a win).
On March 8, 2020, Sparta Lichtenberg lost the league lead to Stern 1900. Sparta had one game down and the season was still long. Then Corona came. Consequence: first interruption, later demolition. The points coefficient – ​​Sparta 2.33, Star 2.36 – decided the promotion after a majority decision of the clubs. The Lichtenbergers were missing 0.03 points for the Oberliga.
Club Italia had big goals with restaurateur Florian Sinnig, who was president of the club. In 2012/13, the only Berlin league season, there were only six points and 26:233 goals, a negative record to this day. A few years later, Club Italia became Berlin United. The goals were even higher: Own stadium, youth academy, long-term Champions League (!). These were unusual ambitions, even for a city that has already built a number of football castles in the air.
Coach Hässler managed to get promoted to Berlin’s highest league with the team – and then had to leave. The first season ended in fourth place, after which President and real estate entrepreneur Stefan Teichmann retired. After zero points from six games (5:37 goals), the club was deregistered from the game in autumn 2020.
